Intimate Birthday Celebrations
Client Name: Private Client
Location: Henley
Service: Event Production
REQUIREMENT:
A private client in Henley-on-Thames wanted to make their intimate birthday party an extraordinary occasion, creating an occasion fit for celebrities by turning their stunning grounds into a beautiful party venue.
With 30 guests, the celebrations were to include music and dancing, lighting displays, floral and visual intrigue and gastronomic delights to culminate in an unforgettable experience for the guests. A feast for the senses, to induce memories that would last a lifetime.
Henley Theatre Services was approached to deliver the technical event production services for the party. This included the design, installation and management of the lighting, sound, stage and power for the event.
The venue was broken down into four zones:
- A drinks reception area where guests could be greeted in beautiful surroundings and enjoy drinks and conversation. This area required themed lighting, displays and sound to deliver an elegant welcome area with subtlety.
- A dining area for the seated banquet, with lighting and sound that would create an intimate, exclusive mood.
- A nightclub area for music and dancing after dinner, where the main band would perform. A stage area equipped with audio and lighting, and a dance floor area with nightclub-styled lighting would host the main entertainment for the evening. A bar and seating area would offer refreshments and relaxation areas.
- The grounds, which provided a stunning canvas for the backdrop for the party. A lighting display to welcome the guests on arrival would introduce the theme for the event and provide the perfect backdrop against the night sky for the evening’s entertainment.
Henley Theatre Services was excited to work on this project, and full of creative ideas to turn this picturesque setting into the party of a lifetime.
The set-up / Solution:
Henley Theatre services took a key role in the technical production of the event, consulting with the client, event planner and other suppliers to ensure the technical elements were successful.
We designed a lighting display that would make an instant impact on the guests’ arrival. 3km of the driveway and several acres of garden were lit up, set to a programme that would control 20 different coloured lights.
With some static and some moving lights, the backdrop would continually change to provide ongoing interest throughout the night.
As guests arrived up the 2 mile ride, an autumnal palette of oranges and yellows was used to light the grounds, designed with slow colour changes and gentle movement using breakup gobos.
After the band’s finale the outdoor lighting went throught a dramatic scene change along with the venue lighting. Colour theme of pinks, reds, blues and purples lit up the lake in front of the drinks reception area, reflecting their hughes on the water to add an extra dimension.
Inside the drinks reception area, guests were welcomed into a glass-fronted marquee area provided by Joseph Benjamin Marquees, that would overlook the lake and the lighting display to bring the outside in, and maximise the effect of the lighting display.
Chandelier lighting inside the reception area added a touch of class and highlighted the central visual display which was a vintage car, adorned with flowers from Stemtation Florist.
The styling and design flowed through from the reception area to the other marquee structures, inspired by Pappillon Events and Invisible Blue who came up with the internal styling elements of the displays and table settings.
The chandeliers ran through the internal zones, along with flower arrangements and lighting themes to pull the different zones together.
Curtains were installed between the marquee structures to soften the look and create separate zones, allowing each zone to be revealed individually for elements of surprise throughout the evening.
A glamorous backdrop of subtle lighting adorned the dining area, with beautiful table decorations.
In the club zone, HTS installed a full stage for the band. Ceiling and stage lighting, coupled with a professional audio system allowed the band to take centre stage, and make the evening’s entertainment immerse the guests in their very private performance.
HTS provided full production and stage management, but also the generators/site power for the catering team, toilets and the production equipment.
The party created memories that would last a lifetime. The result was unique, bespoke, and the guests shared that it would be talked about for years to come.
Everyone had an incredible time, and the evening ran to perfection, with so many amazing aspects to take in and enjoy.
We were really proud of the results and loved being part of the experience, working with some incredible event partners to combine efforts in an awe-inspring outcome.
Want in on the action?
Contact us, we’d love to discuss creating the perfect private party for you.